The Battle of Jutland
May 31st-June 1st, 1916
The battle of Jutland is known to be the Greatest naval battle fought during WWI. Commander of the German High Seas Fleet Reinhard Scheer had returned to his policy of fight ing quick strike battles(sorties) against the Britist coastline. Sure that his messages and codes were safe, Scheer planned to hit the British without any resistance from the main British battle fleet to North of Scotland at Scapa Flow. By the end of May, Scheer had sortied against the British coast while thinking that the only trouble that could arise would be from Admiral Beatty and his battle cruiser squadron. But the British could read and understand his secret messages and so they knew Scheer was on his way. So the British Grand Fleet sailed minutes after the German High Seas Fleet started sailing.
The battle of Jutland is seperated into five main parts with each side moving in a similar formation and with a small squadron of battle cruisers scouting out ahead of the main fleet. In the first part, Admiral Beatty and his battle cruiser squadron ran into their weaker German counterparts under the command of Admiral Hipper and chased them down south towards the German High Seas Fleet. Amiral Beatty then fled north being chased by the German Dreadnoughts(large battleships) which was the second part of the battle. The third part started when the confident Germans thought that they were going to destroy the British battle cruisers but ended up being bombarded by Admiral John Jellicoe and the Grand fleet(who the Germans thought to be to far up north to join in the fight). As a result to the heavy British gun fire , Scheer ordered in a retreat. But, thinking that he would be able to pass behind the Grand Fleet and flee to the Baltic sea, Scheer ordered his ships to turn around. As Scheer and the German High Seas Fleet turned around, Admiral John Jellicoe and the Grand fleet slowed down finding the German fleet crossing their path. Gun fire opened up causing the British to suffer 27 heavy hits while only causing two to their German enemies and again Scheer ordered another retreat. The last part of the battle involved serious night fighting with the retreating German being covered by lighter German ships and when Admiral John Jellicoe retreated to dodge a possible torpedo assult.
By the end of the battle, the British lost three battle cruisers, eight destroyers and four armoured cruisers while the Germans only lost one battle cruiser, five destroyers, four light cruisers and one pre-Dreadnought(large battleship) but the surviving German ships suffered heavy damages.
The battle of Jutland is seperated into five main parts with each side moving in a similar formation and with a small squadron of battle cruisers scouting out ahead of the main fleet. In the first part, Admiral Beatty and his battle cruiser squadron ran into their weaker German counterparts under the command of Admiral Hipper and chased them down south towards the German High Seas Fleet. Amiral Beatty then fled north being chased by the German Dreadnoughts(large battleships) which was the second part of the battle. The third part started when the confident Germans thought that they were going to destroy the British battle cruisers but ended up being bombarded by Admiral John Jellicoe and the Grand fleet(who the Germans thought to be to far up north to join in the fight). As a result to the heavy British gun fire , Scheer ordered in a retreat. But, thinking that he would be able to pass behind the Grand Fleet and flee to the Baltic sea, Scheer ordered his ships to turn around. As Scheer and the German High Seas Fleet turned around, Admiral John Jellicoe and the Grand fleet slowed down finding the German fleet crossing their path. Gun fire opened up causing the British to suffer 27 heavy hits while only causing two to their German enemies and again Scheer ordered another retreat. The last part of the battle involved serious night fighting with the retreating German being covered by lighter German ships and when Admiral John Jellicoe retreated to dodge a possible torpedo assult.
By the end of the battle, the British lost three battle cruisers, eight destroyers and four armoured cruisers while the Germans only lost one battle cruiser, five destroyers, four light cruisers and one pre-Dreadnought(large battleship) but the surviving German ships suffered heavy damages.